Bud Light is responsible for some of the most iconic Super Bowl commercials the big game has ever seen. Now the under-fire brand is hoping its trademark humor can win back fans who have turned their backs on it.
AB InBev will bring the struggling brand back to the Super Bowl this year, with what the Wall Street Journal describes as an ad with the humor dialed up, introducing a new brand character. It will join a large stable of familiar faces for Budweiser brands, including the frogs, the “Whassup” guys and the Bud Light Knight (who was killed off in a Super Bowl spot by the Game of Thrones character “The Mountain”—really).
Bud Light stepped away from humor in its ads in the last Super Bowl, but in the time since it has dealt with a boycott following its promotion with Dylan Mulvaney that resulted in it losing its status as the U.S.’s best-selling beer. The company’s head of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, has since departed and Benoit Garbe, the U.S. chief marketing officer for Anheuser-Busch InBev, stepped down from his job, as well.
AB InBev plans to run three commercials in the Super Bowl this year—one for Bud Light, one for Michelob Ultra (featuring Lionel Messi), and one for Budweiser, featuring the brand’s iconic Clydesdales.
Sales of Bud Light plunged after the Mulvaney partnership, with revenue in the United States for the July–September 2023 period tumbling 13.5%. U.S. dollar sales of Bud Light were down 29% in the four weeks ending Oct. 21 compared to the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen data compiled by Bump Williams Consulting. The company has said sales have stabilized since then and bought a UFC sponsorship to reconnect with its customer base.